Thursday, March 15, 2012

Sensory Detail Exercise

Can you smell the pie pictured here? If you use your creative mind, you can describe it so others might know exactly how it smells. Is it spicy? Or sweet? Or does a tartness pervade the air? Does it invade your entire being? Make your nose twitch?

A good exercise is to make a list of the five senses, then write descriptive words or phrases for each one. The more often you do an exercise like this, the better your sensory detail will be in your stories and poems. Doing the exercise more than once brings an awareness to your subconscious mind that will serve you well down the line.

There is an example for each group below to get you started.Add to these and then continue each list with your own words for each of the five senses. Do as many as you can and then do them again next week.

About Me

I have been published in 17 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, several other anthologies, newspapers, magazines and ezines. My writing includes award winning fiction for children, creative nonfiction, poetry, travel and personal essays. I was named Prose Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Kansas Authors Club. A former teacher, I continue to teach through the written word.